


The Last Beautiful Girl

by alittlepieceofgundamwing_archivist



Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Language, Lemon, M/M, POV Duo Maxwell, Yaoi, past R+1, post war-ness, slight overuse of nicknames
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-23
Updated: 2013-03-23
Packaged: 2019-04-07 01:58:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14070399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alittlepieceofgundamwing_archivist/pseuds/alittlepieceofgundamwing_archivist
Summary: by Ravengirl--"Heero?" I spoke tentatively, waiting to get blasted. "Um... you got something you need to say, buddy?""She told me to leave," he slurred unsteadily."Huh?""Relena. She told me to leave Sanq and not come back. Ever."





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Dacia, the archivist: this work was originally archived at [A Little Piece of Gundam Wing](https://fanlore.org/wiki/A_Little_Piece_Of_Gundam_Wing), which closed in 2017. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after July 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [a little piece of gundam wing collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/alittlepieceofgundamwing/profile).
> 
> Warnings: Duo's POV, Duo's mouth^^, slight Relena bashing, forthcoming citrus, possible future lemon, dubious attempts at humor
> 
> A/N: My inspiration for this fic came from the song 'Last Beautiful Girl' by Matchbox 20, the reasons for which will become clear as matters proceed. As with most of my stuff, while Duo is not technically a 'top', he's still a very strong personality both in bed and out... i.e. NOT a bottom boy. Don't expect any 'take me and make me yours!' BS from him. You won't find it here.
> 
> [ ] = Duo's direct thought

Someone was pounding on my front door and my head was pounding right along with them. To top that off, the blinds were open, allowing the obscenely early-morning sun to stream all over my extremely hung- over person.  
  
This was so not my idea of how Saturday was supposed to go. Any intelligent person knows you don't even crack your lids before noon on the weekend. This common fact of life was obviously unknown to whom-so-ever was presently mounting a full-frontal attack on my door... or the guy who'd just waltzed into my bedroom, tastefully attired in the frilly apron Trowa gave me as a gag-housewarming present and nothing else.  
  
He curtsied quite passably for a bishounen in an apron, smiling at me as I gaped back at him like a complete baka.  
  
"Breakfast is served Mr. Maxwell," said my last-night's stand.  
  
He obviously had no idea that correct morning-after etiquette around Duo Maxwell's place is to get the fuck out before he realizes that he was too drunk to kick you to the curb last night.  
  
The hammering at the front door had escalated to assault and battery... can doors claim a chipped lintel as emotional damage? My life was quickly spiraling out of control and I hadn't even been lucid for most of it.  
  
"Thanks," I croaked at the beaming bishie, "but I'd appreciate some space. Like, right now."  
  
The smile transformed quickly to a scowl and said bishie ripped the apron off and began looking for his scattered clothing, thank Shinigami and whatever other gods might be listening.  
  
"Well! I know when I'm not wanted. But I guarantee you, Duo Maxwell... Noah Richter does not take this kind of insult sitting down! I can't believe-,"  
  
His voice faded as he disappeared down the hall, following the trail of discarded leather, silk and mesh. I leaned forward, gingerly supporting my throbbing temples with careful hands. And realized, suddenly, that the hammering from outside had stopped. Hard on the heels of that thought, a shrill scream pierced my eardrums, making me clutch at my head and moan in sheer agony.  
  
"Who the hell are you, and where's Maxwell?"  
  
I jerked upright, every inch of my body protesting, my eyes open to capacity. I knew those deep, irritable tones, even if it had been nearly three years since I'd last heard them.  
  
[Shit.]  
  
Yanking the nearest pair of pants from the disaster area that is my floor, I tugged them on while hopping as fast as I could for the great room. The sight that met my eyes was not unexpected, but it still shocked the hell out of me.  
  
The half-dressed bishie cowered against my black leather love-seat, staring like a hypnotized rodent at the spandex-clad wet-dream pointing a gun at him.  
  
Tousled black-coffee hair fell in spiky profusion, nearly obscuring glaring cobalt eyes... nearly.  
  
[Well... the 'ol Stare 'o Death ain't lost any of its punch.]  
  
Neither had his body. He was still the finest thing on two legs, as far as this boy was concerned. I blinked. The tank was dark blue, not green. And his hiking boots were brown leather. Yessss!!! He _can_ be taught!  
  
I must have made some movement, since he turned, with those lightening reflexes I remembered so well, and the gun was suddenly pointing at me.  
  
"Hey, hey, Heero-buddy! No need for that. 'S all good, here," I said hastily, raising my hands in a placatory fashion and stepping through the archway into the room.  
  
There was a strangled squeak and the pattering of feet as the bishie made a break for it while Heero's attention was on me. Stupid of him. Heero would have plugged him if I hadn't already been in motion, pushing my trigger-happy friend's weapon towards the floor before he could drill my one-night fuck-toy.  
  
"Ease off, partner. He wasn't after anything but a good screw and an ex-Gundam-pilot boyfriend to brag on," I murmured in Heero's ear.  
  
I could swear he quivered against me, but then his muscles relaxed under my hand and the grip on his Sig loosened.  
  
"You never change, Maxwell," he said in that flat voice I still hear in my dreams... and nightmares.  
  
"Nope," I said cheerfully. "Unrepentant slut, that's me. So... you hungry?"  
  
He gave me a 'you-gotta-be-kidding-right?' look before making his gun disappear to wherever it goes when he isn't threatening people with it.  
  
"Hey, I have it on the best of authority that breakfast is ready. Let's eat!"  
  
The tantalizing smells issuing from the kitchen had awakened my stomach, which immediately attempted to chew its way out of me to get at whatever was generating that heavenly scent. For the record, I may get righteous hang-over headaches, but I am _never_ without the ability to eat. And whatever faults the bishie might have possessed, he obviously made a damn good mushroom omelet.  
  
I cut it in half with a spatula, plopped it on two plates, and set them on the table.  
  
"You want milk or orange juice, Hee-man?" I asked, inspecting the contents of my fridge. "Or _\--_ I know _\--_ mimosas! I've still got that bubbly Q left here last New Years. After all," I turned to grin at my silent companion, "it's not every day my best bud shows up on my doorstep!"  
  
[And I could use a little 'hair of the dog'.]  
  
"So," I popped the champagne, adding it to the oj pitcher, "how long's it been now... three years? Damn, Heero, we gotta start doin' more than the email thing. I haven't seen you since Quat blew the Gundams and Relena put us all on display at that stupid summit."  
  
That thought pulled me up hard, thinking about my beautiful 'Scythe and how much I missed him. Okay, so he was an unfeeling hunk of gundanium, but Deathscythe was one of the few things I've ever loved in my short life... he was mine.  
  
Heero, to my surprise, had seated himself while I was babbling, and he looked up at me as I put a glass of the oj mix in front of him. Those deep blue eyes met mine and for an instant I saw a regret that matched my own swirling there. But then... Wing had been the _first_ thing Heero Yuy ever loved. Followed quickly by the blonde bimbette.  
  
I mentally slapped my inner bitch, who promptly stuck his swishy little tongue out at me. [Cute,] I told him silently. [You shouldn't talk shit about her. It isn't Relena's fault Heero wanted her and not me. After all, she has the right equipment. I don't.]  
  
"What brings to my humble abode, Senor Yuy?" I asked as I sat down opposite him. "Dekim manage to raise himself from the dead? Kushrenada get reincarnated while I wasn't looking?"  
  
I shoved a piece of omeletty goodness into my mouth and chewed, waiting for my taciturn friend to get his act together. When nothing was forthcoming, I looked up, just in time to see Heero down the rest of his mimosa then pour himself another. Thankfully for my breakfast companion, I'd already swallowed, since my lower jaw was somewhere around my knees right about then.  
  
Now alcohol consumption may be commonplace for you or I, but Heero Yuy does not drink. Let me repeat that. Does. Not. Drink. Carefully placing my fork on my plate, I studied my best friend closely.  
  
Puffy, bloodshot eyes? Nope. Bloating? Nope. Inebriation after two watered-down mimosas? Yeppers. I think it was safe to say that Heero hadn't resorted to alcoholism since the last time I'd seen him. So the million-credit question was... what the hell had happened that would bring him all the way from the Sanq kingdom's palace halls to my lowly San Diego hovel... then make him decide that drunken revelry before 10 AM is a good idea.  
  
"Heero?" I spoke tentatively, waiting to get blasted. "Um... you got something you need to say, buddy? 'Cause if you don't, that's fine, I'm just sayin' that if you do, I'm-,"  
  
"She told me to leave," he slurred unsteadily.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Another refill. Deep gulp.  
  
"Relena. She told me to leave Sanq and not come back. Ever."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> by Ravengirl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note from Dacia, the archivist: this work was originally archived at [A Little Piece of Gundam Wing](https://fanlore.org/wiki/A_Little_Piece_Of_Gundam_Wing), which closed in 2017. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after July 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [a little piece of gundam wing collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/alittlepieceofgundamwing/profile).
> 
> [ ] = Duo's direct thought

I let him move in. What the hell else was I gonna do? Yeah, I can really see myself sayin', 'No Heero, you can't stay with me, 'cause I've wanted to jump you since I shot you almost six years ago, and if I'm around you constantly, I'm scared shitless I will.' Uh-huh. Riiiiiight.  
  
So he set his precious lap-top up in my guest room, slid his Sig into the bedside table, and went out to conquer the cyber-world of Southern California. Ninmu ryokai.  
  
Me, I went back to doing my part-time bodyguard-to-visiting-stars kinda thing. Out here, I'm a minor celebrity all by myself, and it tickles those Hollywood twinks to have one of the 'Gundam Five' lookin' out for their asses. Hey, don't look at me like that, it pays the bills! Housing in SD ain't cheap, boys and girls.  
  
Heero started free-lancing for a bunch of cutting-edge techies and doing security systems on the side. What can I say? Nobody does it better than the guy who used to regularly dismantle the damn things. Musta paid pretty well, too, because my house started getting regular upgrades - like a spa - and my mortgage was going bye-bye at a frightening rate.  
  
Oh, I tried to argue with Mr. I-have-a-mission Yuy. Duo Maxwell takes handouts from no one. But he just gave me his 'target acquired' stare that always makes me feel like a duck on a las-rifle range and informed me that since he was living on the premises, paying rent, and intended to keep doing so, he had the right to implement changes to the property that did not interfere with, or violate, the building code. Quote, end quote.  
  
The bastard then proceeded to draw up a rental contract - with me as landlord _\--_ and send it to a lawyer to have it okayed as far as legal ramifications went. After that, he bushwhacked me on a Sunday when I was still half asleep and made me read the damn thing through before signing on the dotted line. I was beginning to feel like an innocent bystander in the middle of a hostile take-over... stay out of the way of the nice Gundam and you won't get hurt.  
  
Heero informed me that it was for my own good.  
  
"You're too generous with your resources, Maxwell. Your next tenant could clean you out."  
  
"But I'm not going to have a next tenant," I protested. "I mean, seriously, man, I do okay on my own."  
  
His face closed up immediately, and I wanted to kick myself repeatedly as I felt his withdrawal. He'd been here for five months and we still hadn't talked about Relena or the last three years. Not for lack of my trying, but if Heero doesn't want to talk about something, you darn well don't talk about it. That bitch had done a real number on him, and sometimes he'd get this look on his face that made me want to hop a shuttle to Sanq just to kick her ass.  
  
"Hee-man, you know I'm happy you're here, right? If you weren't, who'd make me eat those nasty bran muffins? Or the leafy green stuff? You're good for me, babe."  
  
I slung a friendly arm around his shoulders and he looked at me out of those huge, deep-ocean eyes and I wanted to kiss him until we both needed artificial respiration. I mentally smacked myself upside the brain.  
  
Bad Duo. Baaaaaad Duo. No lusting after the beautiful, straight-as- an-arrow Perfect Soldier. He _will_ drop-kick your ass into the next county.  
  
I was about to remove myself from the danger zone when his hand touched my back. Then his arm slid cautiously around my waist and he was leaning against me _\--_ just slightly, like he was unsure how I'd react.  
  
How did I react? My damn throat closed up and I wanted to bawl like a girly-man. This was the first time since I'd met him that Heero had responded to my overtures in any way other than 'Shut-up baka' or 'Omae o korosu'. I wished I had La Peacecraft in front of me so I could do my 'nyah-nyah, loser' dance all over her pink ass.  
  
We stood like that for long minutes and it was perfect. Heero's basically the same height as me, and we fit together like... well, we fit. Of course, I was getting a monster erection just feeling him against me like that, but I manfully did my best to ignore it and prayed he wouldn't notice.  
  
Finally, he moved away, and I let him go, even though it was the last thing I wanted to do.  
  
"Thank you, Duo. I mean it. I... when I left Sanq, I didn't know where else to go. I hope I haven't screwed up your life too badly."  
  
"Heero no baka." I snorted. "Can the pity party, dude, you gotta know I love seeing your ugly mug every morning. Just like old times. At least you get your own room now, huh?"  
  
An odd expression flitted across his features, but it was gone before I could nail it down and the Spandex Warrior, scourge of nasty mildew and evil dustbunnies, was back.  
  
"We've already wasted enough time with this nonsense. The yard needs mowing and the spa has to be cleaned. Your choice."  
  
"Oh, maaaannn, Heero, it's Sunday," I whined. "Can't we do this some other time... like next century?"  
  
"Lawn. Weeds. March."  
  
I followed him out into the bright California sun, pissing and moaning the whole way, delight a secret, rising effervescence inside me. Heero liked living with me. Heero liked _me_. Heero was staying.  
  
Life was good.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> by Ravengirl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note from Dacia, the archivist: this work was originally archived at [A Little Piece of Gundam Wing](https://fanlore.org/wiki/A_Little_Piece_Of_Gundam_Wing), which closed in 2017. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after July 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [a little piece of gundam wing collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/alittlepieceofgundamwing/profile).
> 
> [ ] = Duo's direct thought

"Hey Heero, you want another brew?" I yelled over the reverb. Friday night and Dick's was rocking, the noise level high enough to blow out your eardrums, no problem.  
  
Heero shook his head at me, not even attempting to out-shout Mick Jagger. He looked a question at his date, a pretty thing with long brown hair and huge pansy eyes, and she nodded, smiling at both of us.  
  
This wasn't the first time we'd double-dated, but Pretty Pansy was the first chick I'd seen more than once. I think she was some kind of EE for one of the firms he contracted with. She was a sweetheart and I would have been half in love with her myself (or as much as I could be with a woman), if I hadn't been so jealous I couldn't see straight.  
  
With every casual touch, every brush of her hair against his shoulder, all I could think was minemineminedon'tyoufuckingtouchhimMINE!!!  
  
Heh. You all know what a possessive sonnofabitch I am, right? No? Let me refresh your memory. Braid. Cross. You touch, you die. Messily. I'd just recently discovered that, somewhere along the way, I'd added Heero to my short list of 'things not to put yer stinkin' hands on'.  
  
And speaking of hands.  
  
"Duo, honey, we've been here an hour and you haven't even kissed me hello."  
  
Esteban, my piece-of-ass du jour, pressed against me from behind and slid his perfectly manicured fingers over my chest. I caught the laughter in Heero's eyes and rolled my own in response. Jeeze, I really needed to ditch this one. He was getting clingy.  
  
Pulling my lover off me, I gave him the patented Maxwell grin.  
  
"Sure, baby, just a minute. It's my round... want another Maker's on the rocks?"  
  
"Umm, yeah," he purred, then suctioned onto my lips like a Hoover.  
  
Aaack! Definitely time for a new flavor. Or maybe I'd just take a break from the dating scene, altogether. Twinks are cute, but they get annoying real quick, and there hadn't been anything solid on my menu since I'd split with Kevin two years ago. SoCal tends to offer fluff, fluff and more fluff.  
  
Besides, I had Heero, and who's gonna match up to my best friend? 'Nuff said.  
  
We didn't stay at Dick's much longer, and Heero drove us downtown to the Gaslamp district. We drifted from club to club for a while, dancing some, laughing a lot, having a pretty good time. Around midnight we ended up at this dark techno place with awesome lighting that made everyone look half-dead. A remake of New Order's 'Blue Monday' pounded through the room... and suddenly I was face to face with Heero.  
  
The floor was packed and I couldn't see either of our dates; hell, I could barely see _him_ and he was right in front of me. The rapid flashing of weird blue lights did strange things to his face, turned his eyes into black pools within the pallor of his face. We were separated by mere inches, but our bodies never touched. He leaned in and his voice whispered across my ear, sending shivers all through me.  
  
"Dance with me."  
  
Do you really think I was gonna say no? I may _act_ like a brainless pretty-boy sometimes _\--_ typically for my own nefarious purposes - but a moron I am not.  
  
We moved together like we'd done this a few hundred times before. Occasionally his jeans would brush against my leather pants... the slick silk of my tank would slide over his tight black Tee.  
  
If anyone had told me, back during the war, that Heero Yuy could dance, I would have laughed in their face. Our Friday nights out quickly taught me that not only could he dance, he was damn good at it. _Damn_ good. I can't tell you how many times I watched him with girl number whatever and wished it was me.  
  
This, though... what we were doing tonight... this was nothing like what he'd done with those girls. This was a slow, hot tease... coming close enough to touch, then backing away... feeling each other's breath against sweat-slick skin... burning up in the heat we generated. We fucked without touching... ate each other alive with our eyes.  
  
And then it was over. Pansy-girl appeared beside him and Esteban slid his arms around my waist. I might have thought I'd imagined the whole thing... except for the white-hot cobalt gaze that followed me, tactile as a long-fingered, callused hand. And of course, there were my hormones, which had kicked in with a vengeance and now commenced to demand satisfaction.  
  
Somewhere in the back of my skull, a snide little voice decided to put its two credits in.  
  
/He's just messing with your mind, Maxwell. Don't even go there./  
  
[Oh, shut-up,] I told it, and got out of there as fast as I could. Maybe some fresh air would help. Somehow, though, I didn't really think so.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> by Ravengirl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note from Dacia, the archivist: this work was originally archived at [A Little Piece of Gundam Wing](https://fanlore.org/wiki/A_Little_Piece_Of_Gundam_Wing), which closed in 2017. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after July 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [a little piece of gundam wing collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/alittlepieceofgundamwing/profile).
> 
> [ ] = Duo's direct thought

"Hey Hee-man, you busy?"  
  
The door was open, but I knocked anyway. Never startle a terrorist, even a retired one. Those reactions don't go away just 'cause there's no one left to fight.  
  
"Not really. Just finishing up my preliminary report on the Mansfield system."  
  
"Oh yeah?" I leaned over his shoulder to look at the screen, surreptitiously taking a deep breath of Heero while I was at it. God- _damn_ that boy smells good. Male musk and sport talc with just a hint of clean sweat. Okay, Duo, get your mind out of your pants before you attack him.  
  
"Yes. It's so full of holes that I'm going to have to rebuild from the ground up. I got through the defenses in just over a minute."  
  
I whistled appreciatively. I'm sure the firewalls were as shitty as he thought, but Heero's abilities are mind-blowing. By the time he was done restructuring the system, it'd be as tight as a virgin.  
  
He finished typing then looked up at me, one eyebrow cocked in inquiry.  
  
"Did you need something Maxwell, or are you going to stand there gaping like a landed trout all night?"  
  
Heero's techie-prowess is second only to his talent for sarcasm. I could feel my face turn beet-red with embarrassment. This wasn't the first time since the night we pseudo-screwed on a dance floor that he'd caught me staring.  
  
It would have been so easy to retreat, especially considering how much I wasn't looking forward to what I had to tell him, but I'd come a long way since my 'run, hide, don't lie' days. I'd learned how to tell a whopper as well as the next guy... and I'd figured out that avoiding shit doesn't make it go away. For me, it amounted to maturity. Or something like that.  
  
"Duo?"  
  
Heero was still looking at me, a worry-line creasing his forehead. Ooops. Musta spaced out longer than I thought. I pulled my scattered brain cells back into one mass and took a deep breath. Better get this over with. I certainly didn't want it hanging over our heads.  
  
"Look, Heero, you know I don't pry into your personal stuff. You don't like to talk about Relena and all that crap, and that's _fine_ but..."  
  
My voice trailed off as the worry-line became a glower the likes of which I hadn't seen since the war. My self-preservation instincts were screaming at me to run, but I made myself stand my ground.  
  
"Okay, it's like this... she's been sending me email for the last month. First it was, 'I know you know where he is.' Then it was 'I know he's with you, Maxwell, tell him I want to talk to him.' Now it's 'Have that jerk com me or I'm going to have you drawn and quartered in my courtyard.' Lucky for me I'm an American citizen, but still... just wanted to give you a heads-up. For all I know, she's headed this way, and I'd, um, REALLY like to avoid having her show up here."  
  
I pushed the last words out in a rush, wanting to get them said. When Heero remained silent, I glanced up from where I was fiddling with the end of my braid to discover that I'd acquired a new statue. He could've given lessons in stillness to a marble bust.  
  
His face was frozen in that non-expression he does so well and his eyes looked blank, as though he saw nothing but the images behind them. Then there was this kind of snapping noise and a laser pen was in pieces on the floor.  
  
We both stared at the wide, seeping gash in his palm like a couple of idiots before I, being the tough, decisive individual that I am, sprang into action.  
  
"That's blood. Shit, man, you're bleeding!"  
  
Did I mention that I don't do well around copious amounts of the red stuff? Strange problem for the guy who used to call himself The God of Death, but there you go. On the other hand, it's not Shinigami who's got issues... Duo Maxwell's the one who has to deal with Shini's mess. I think it's the smell more than anything else. One whiff of that coppery-sweet scent, and I start feeling a little shaky if I don't have any immediate concerns like, say, about twenty Ozzies coming down on my ass.  
  
My idiotic statement did serve some purpose, though, since it brought Heero out of his stupor. Sighing, he glanced at me, then his hand and pulled his shirt over his head to wrap it around the cut.  
  
"It's okay, Duo. It's not that deep. Just get me the med kit and I'll be fine."  
  
It was an indication of my unsettled state that I didn't stop to appreciate the tight-muscled, golden-skinned chest which had just presented itself for my viewing pleasure. Happy to have something to do, I ran for the bathroom, little green and purple spots dancing before my eyes. Splashing cold water on my face, I hung over the sink for a minute, trying to get my equilibrium back.  
  
Finally my head stopped spinning and I looked up at my reflection. Dilated violet eyes stared back at me.  
  
"Duo, you twit. Get your ass in gear before Heero goes into shock 'cause you're a goddamn wuss."  
  
Determined to conquer my unreasonable reactions, I grabbed the kit from the cabinet and marched back to Heero's room. I took one look at the soaked shirt around his hand and shut my eyes tight, handed him the kit, then sat down on the floor to put my head between my knees.  
  
"You never could deal with bleeders."  
  
Heero sounded amused but I kept my head down where it was safe.  
  
"Sorry," I mumbled at the floor.  
  
"You can look, now. It's covered."  
  
Cautiously, I raised my head and peeked at him from the corner of one eye.  
  
"Trash the shirt and I will."  
  
The drenched cloth disappeared and I sprawled out on the carpet, boneless.  
  
"Damn, Heero, if I'd known you'd try to carve yourself up, I'da kept my mouth shut."  
  
There was silence for a moment. Then,  
  
"No. I needed to know. And I'm sorry she bothered you. I made sure she couldn't find me."  
  
"Huh. Don't blame you." I crossed my arms behind my head and stared at the ceiling. "So... think she really knows you're here? Maybe she's just bluffing."  
  
"Hn. She knows," came from above me.  
  
Flipping onto my stomach, I propped myself up on my elbows to look at him. He was still sitting in his chair, hands lying loose on his knees. His eyes were unfocused, and I knew he wasn't seeing me or the room. He was somewhere else.  
  
I didn't like it. Reaching out, I grabbed his ankle and jerked. I got an immediate scowl for my troubles. I stared back evenly, refusing to let him off this time.  
  
"Look, Heero, if the Pink Wonder is about to descend on my head, then at least tell me what I'm in for. I still don't know what the hell happened between you two, and I kinda get the feeling I need to."  
  
Heero lowered his death-glare to the floor, probably scaring the crap out of my innocent beige carpeting.  
  
"I'll go. If she comes here, just tell her you don't know where I went."  
  
"Oh _hell_ no, buddy. You're not gonna leave me holding the bag."  
  
Pushing up, I crawled over to him and put my hands on his knees, getting in his face and making him look at me.  
  
"What. Did. She. Do."  
  
For a while I thought he wasn't gonna answer. Then he released a pent-up breath and ran a frustrated hand through perpetually messy hair. Balancing on my heels, hands still resting on his thighs, I waited.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> by Ravengirl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note from Dacia, the archivist: this work was originally archived at [A Little Piece of Gundam Wing](https://fanlore.org/wiki/A_Little_Piece_Of_Gundam_Wing), which closed in 2017. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after July 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [a little piece of gundam wing collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/alittlepieceofgundamwing/profile).
> 
> [ ] = Duo's direct thought

Heero's words loitered, dragging themselves grudgingly from his mouth.  
  
"It was Zechs' birthday and he was actually dumb enough to be in town for it, poor bastard. So Relena threw one of her huge parties, invited half the country plus a bunch of her political cronies and by about 01:00 most of them were completely tanked. Including her."  
  
I blinked. Relena? _Drunk?_  
  
Heero saw the disbelief on my face and shrugged.  
  
"It was those ice-tea things Noin kept giving her. I think she had four."  
  
[Lu, Lu... you nasty, vindictive, clever bitch. Always did like you.]  
  
"Long Islands," I said. "If you're not used to alcohol, just _one_ of those babies'll knock you for a loop."  
  
"Well, they certainly did her," Heero snorted. "I almost had to carry her out of there and she called me Hee-chan in front of all those overdressed snobs."  
  
The affronted look on his face was nearly too much for me, but I held in my snickers. I didn't think he'd appreciate them.  
  
"So you carried li'l queenie off to her boudoir?"  
  
I tried to keep my voice free of the innuendo threatening to slither in. Didn't think he'd appreciate _that_ either. Obviously I failed, though, since he gave me a 'don't fuck around, Maxwell' look before continuing.  
  
"Yes. And once we got there, she wouldn't let go of me. Wanted me to stay until she fell asleep. She was pretty trashed, and it didn't seem like a big deal to sit with her for a while. The problem was..."  
  
A faint line of red tinged his cheekbones and I watched it in fascination. Heero Yuy... blushing?!?  
  
"Problem was... I fell asleep sitting next to her on the bed. When I woke up, she was all over me. And she wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing. You know how it goes, Duo... your reflexes kick in before your brain. And I... I guess I threw her across the room. She hit the wall pretty hard. A few paintings fell and some porcelain and glass stuff broke. Then she shrieked like a damned banshee and brought half the palace running."  
  
My mind was busily dissecting this fascinating information, adding here, subtracting there and coming to a confusing conclusion. Wait a minute... they didn't sleep together?  
  
"You mean you guys weren't fucking?"  
  
And there you have it. Once again, Duo Maxwell's amazing mouth speaks without his brain's intervention. We've got us a real winner here, folks!  
  
Heero stared blankly at me as I clapped a hand over my unruly lips.  
  
"Fucking? Why would you think that? I was her _bodyguard_ , Maxwell, not her lover."  
  
"Welllll..." I grabbed onto my braid with both hands. "Pretty much everyone and their mother thinks the two of you were involved. Why else would you stay in Sanq?"  
  
The blank look morphed into a frown.  
  
"I stayed because she needed me. Peace needed me. It's what I was built for, Duo. You know that better than most."  
  
I did. J and his lab Igors had that poor boy so hot-wired that when I first met him he couldn't comprehend there being more to life than the next mission. Obviously that belief didn't completely go away with the end of the war.  
  
[And why would it, Duo? You know damn well that kind of thing doesn't just up and disappear because someone says, 'We are at peace. You don't have to fight anymore.']  
  
"Besides," he went on, "I didn't know what I wanted to do. She wanted me with her... everyone seemed to think that's where I should be. Maybe I should have just married her when she asked."  
  
His expression was something I'd seen only a couple of times before, the most vivid in my mind being that moment right before he self- destructed the first time. It had filled 'Scythe's vid-screen: a mix of resignation and martyrdom that made me physically ill just to look at.  
  
Time for a few Maxwell home truths.  
  
"Bullshit."  
  
My voice was loud and obnoxious enough to startle a whole army of gloomy heros out of the pit of pathos, and it made mine straighten up and focus on me instead of his problems.  
  
Good. Nothing I hate worse than a couple of bishounen angsting all over each other. I wasn't about to indulge Heero in his fit of self- pity.  
  
"Hee-man, lemmee ask you a question... when Relena so kindly requested your hand in marriage, why did you turn her down? Think carefully, here."  
  
His gaze turned inward, and I could almost hear the circuits sparking to life.  
  
"It would have complicated things," he said finally. "Emotional and physical attachment cloud a person's judgment. It would have compromised my ability to protect her. And..."  
  
I waited.  
  
"And I didn't want to," he said quickly, as if the words tasted bad in his mouth. "As it was, she wanted me around all the time. She wouldn't leave me alone! Sometimes... sometimes I wanted to be by myself so badly, I almost wished I'd shot her that night you stopped me."  
  
He looked at me uncertainly, guilt pouring off him in waves. I sighed.  
  
"Heero, that's a fairly normal reaction to someone else's obsessive behavior. Everyone needs their own space."  
  
He was shaking his head.  
  
"Not Relena. She has... I think you'd call them abandonment issues. Everyone she's loved has died or disappeared."  
  
"Well tell her to join the fucking club," I snapped. "I could say the same thing, but you don't see me chasing after some guy who threatens to kill me every time we hook up. She's whacked, man. It ain't your problem."  
  
There was nothing else I could say to make him believe me, so I just smirked at him and told him to finish the story.  
  
"She was shaking so I put a blanket over her. There were a number of people standing out in the hall, and I think I told them to go find Zechs or Noin. Luckily, Quatre and Trowa were there for the party, and Trowa got rid of the crowd while I called the house physician and Quatre calmed Relena down."  
  
Quatre had been there? And he didn't com me with the juicy details?? That little shit!  
  
Heero was staring at his clasped hands as if they held all the wisdom of the universe.  
  
"I really scared her, Duo. She was pretty out of it and she kept looking at me like... Remember the way people used to look at us when they found out we piloted the Gundams? Like we ate babies for breakfast, or something. Even during the war, Relena never looked at me like that. But she did that night."  
  
I had no idea what to say to that. Relena could be a spoiled, selfish brat sometimes, but she was important to Heero. Maybe not the way I'd originally thought, but she still represented something to him. Perhaps the innocence neither of us had ever possessed. Well, hell.  
  
"Zechs finally showed up and I left. The next morning I met her outside her bedroom door, as usual. She didn't talk to me, but she seemed okay... not physically damaged, at any rate. Then we got to her office and she explained that she didn't think things were working out between us and it would be better if I left Sanq and found something else to do with my life. She thought it would be best if I didn't come back, either, not for a long time."  
  
Things got pretty quiet while I mulled a whole bunch of new ideas over in my head. When I finally noticed how still Heero was sitting, I decided that silence really sucked and it was time for Wise-ass Duo to reappear.  
  
"Well, what _I_ want to know is why this wasn't all over the news- vids. You know... 'Queen of the World fires former-Gundam-pilot bodyguard cum boyfriend. Details at eleven!'" I said, jerking Heero out of his brown-study.  
  
"Oh. That was Noin. She stood there with Zechs right behind her, looking really mad, and terrified everyone into submission. You know," he said thoughtfully, "that is one woman you do not want to cross."  
  
I laughed.  
  
"Got that right. Sometime you'll have to tell me just exactly what Relena did to piss Lu off so bad that she deliberately got Sanq's most prominent blonde drunk as a skunk in public."  
  
"You think that Noin...? No. She would not do that. Even as an enemy, she was honorable and forthright."  
  
I gave him a pitying look.  
  
"You poor, poor innocent. You have no idea what the feminine sex is capable of... especially in retaliation against another female."  
  
Rising from my crouch, I stretched, nearly purring as my cramped muscles realigned themselves.  
  
"Well, Hee-man, it's a nasty little mess you've got yourself into. I wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot gundanium pole... under normal circumstances, that is," I hastily added when his eyes got this wounded look in them. "You're my best bud, so of course I'll help you out. I'll mail her back, tell her I haven't seen you, and lie like a rug when she gets here... sound good?"  
  
"You? Lie?"  
  
He had an odd little half-smile on his lips that was doing strange things to my insides. It made him look sexy as all get-out... as if he needed any help with _that_.  
  
"Yes _\--_ me _\--_ lie. This white-boy learned how to 'speak-with-forked- tongue' outta self-defense. Those Hollywood-types are full of it. Politicos, too. They no comprende anyone who won't play the game."  
  
I stood there looking down at him and it suddenly occurred to me that Heero Yuy was sitting in front of me with nothing but a pair of skin-tight spandex shorts between my twitchy fingers and his skin... and he was smiling at me. Oh shit. This was, like, trouble with a capital T, just begging to happen.  
  
"What happened to 'I run, I hide, but I never lie'?"  
  
"I, um, grew up?"  
  
I started edging towards the door, but he rose smoothly from his chair and followed, stopping no more than a foot from me. If I didn't know better I'd've said he was stalking me.  
  
"You think I was right to turn her down. Was I right to leave Sanq without a protest? Was I right to come here and push my way into your life without asking?"  
  
"I-,"  
  
My voice came out an embarrassing squeak and I cleared my throat before trying again. Was it my imagination or had Heero gotten another couple of inches closer?  
  
"I can't tell you what you should have done, babe. Things are different for different people. But I gotta say..." I took a deep breath. "I really think you should go after something _you_ want, instead of what everyone else expects. Don't you think you've followed orders long enough, soldier?"  
  
His expression turned contemplative. For some reason, on Heero's face that particular look was utterly terrifying.  
  
"Something for me..." His voice trailed off and he turned those blue, blue eyes on me, his gaze suddenly, fiercely in focus. "Okay."  
  
Next thing I knew, he'd grabbed me by the front of my shirt, hauled me against him, and was kissing the living daylights outta me.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> by Ravengirl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note from Dacia, the archivist: this work was originally archived at [A Little Piece of Gundam Wing](https://fanlore.org/wiki/A_Little_Piece_Of_Gundam_Wing), which closed in 2017. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after July 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [a little piece of gundam wing collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/alittlepieceofgundamwing/profile).
> 
> [ ] = Duo's direct thought

For all it was one my most fervent desires, I had a long-held, sneaking suspicion that any physical contact with Heero Yuy promised to be pretty damn painful. I was right.  
  
His mouth on mine was anything but gentle, his hands held me in a bruising grip, and his tongue forced its way inside me with the bare minimum of politesse.  
  
On the other hand, I had him right where I wanted for the first time in six years. So I relaxed into his hold and set about teaching the Perfect Soldier how to make love to Death.  
  
Sliding my arms around him, I let my fingers trail random patterns the length of his back... telling him without words that I liked where I was and had no intention of going anywhere for the foreseeable future.  
  
I opened my lips readily to his invasion, sliding my tongue along his... turning the act from conquest to exploration. Rubbing sinuously against him, I allowed our awakening erections to brush, surprising a low growl from Heero.  
  
His grip loosened; one of his hands curled around my hip while the other slid into my braid and along my scalp, sending waves of sensation over my sensitized skin. His tongue left mine to trace the full lines of my mouth and then he bit down on my lower lip, a sharply erotic sting I felt all through my body.  
  
I'll say this for him: he's always been a quick study.  
  
My hand moved without my express permission, sliding between his legs to rub the impressive bulge that I'd only been able to sneak glances at, previously. Once, during one of those school sojourns we'd shared, I'd actually gotten a look at a naked, aroused Heero Yuy. Let me tell you, that one brief sighting fueled my masturbation fantasies for months. Not to be crude, but the man has a gorgeous cock.  
  
And small, it is not.  
  
When my fingers slipped between spandex and skin, he tore his mouth from mine and groaned, pressing me into the wall nearest the door as I palmed his erection.  
  
His body was pliant along mine, his mouth open against my neck as he panted. I let myself enjoy the sensation... concentrated on the contrasting soft/hard feel of his cock in my hand, the texture of ridges and veins. God knew how long I'd be able to do this before he came to his senses.  
  
"Heero..."  
  
I would hate myself for this later, I was almost certain. But I just couldn't leave it alone. I had to *know*. Heero's regret and possible disgust weren't worth a quick hand-job against a wall.  
  
"Hee-man, look at me for a minute, 'kay?"  
  
Warm lips nuzzled my throat and I couldn't help the moan that rose all the way from my gut.  
  
"Duo? Whassamatter?"  
  
Lick. Nibble. Lick.  
  
"He-Heero!"  
  
"Hmmmn?"  
  
"Would you just look at me a sec? Please?!?"  
  
His mouth left my collar-bone, where it seemed to be conducting a thorough investigation of my skin, and then I was staring into eyes gone black with want.  
  
"What's wrong?" he whispered, leaning forward to kiss me again.  
  
His cock was in my hand, his taste in my mouth and all I wanted was for him to fuck me so hard and so well that I wouldn't be able to sit down for a week.  
  
"Why?" I heard myself ask, as my mind screamed, *shutupshutupshutupbaka!*  
  
Warm, rough hands cupped my face. Those depthless eyes searched mine.  
  
"You told me to do something *I* wanted."  
  
"Yeah...?" I drew the single syllable out.  
  
"Well, that's what I'm doing. I can't think of anything I want more than you. I always have, you know."  
  
Nope, didn't know that. But I was starting to get a clue.  
  
He pulled me away from the wall and shoved me towards the bed, but I held onto him.  
  
"My room. Lube."  
  
His pupils swallowed the rest of the blue, leaving only thin rims around oceans of lust. As he grabbed my wrist and dragged me out the door behind him, my body and brain did a short tug-of-war with my common sense. Guess who won?  
  
+  
  
When Heero decides on a course of action, patience generally has no part of the equation. By the time we reached my room, my shirt had been ripped off, _\--_ literally... he can bend steel for chrissakes _\--_ my jeans were open and my hair and his hands were all over the place. 'The place' being me.  
  
Smacking the wandering fingers away, I sank to my knees in front of him, taking spandex with me as I went. Oh, yes. Oh *fuck* yes. Leaning forward, I rubbed my face against silky skin and rock-hard penis before running my tongue up the most prominent vein to the sweet-spot beneath the crown. I flicked it just to watch that perfect erection jump. Then I opened my throat and took my best friend all the way in.  
  
There's just something about having a cock in my mouth... don't ask me what, all I know is that it feels and tastes and smells like heaven. The first time I ever sucked dick ruined me for women for all eternity. Why the hell would I want pussy when I could have *this*?  
  
Heero groaned as I swallowed around him, his hands threading through my loosened hair and tightening on my skull. I let him slide out then took him back in again. And again. And again.  
  
"Duo... Duo you have to stop. I'm gonna-,"  
  
I pulled away, sucking as I went, letting him go with a pop. Sitting back on my heels, naked as the day I was born, I grinned up at him like a loon.  
  
"What can I say...? I give good head."  
  
Jerking me to my feet, he kissed me hard, bruising my lips.  
  
"That's not all you're going to give me," he grated.  
  
"Damn straight."  
  
I momentarily evaded his grasp, rummaging through my bedside-table drawer and making sure Heero had an excellent view of my bare ass as I bent over.  
  
"Here we go," I flipped the tube at him and flopped down on the bed, splaying my legs and arms wide. "You done this before?"  
  
He was watching my movements like a hawk, the lube dangling from one hand.  
  
"Not with another man, but yes... I have."  
  
"Then get over here and get me ready."  
  
Kicking his shorts the rest of the way off, he prowled to the bed and proceeded to crawl up me like some oversized cat. Maybe a panther. Mesmerized, I watched the play of muscle under golden skin and felt myself get even harder.  
  
"Fuck, Heero... you should come with a damn warning label."  
  
"I do." His hands smoothed down my torso, fingers tracing the ridges of my stomach. "'Contents under pressure. Handle with caution.' J slapped it on me before I left L1."  
  
"Did-," I gasped as fingers dipped into the pre-come coating the head of my cock and smeared it down the shaft. "Did you just make a joke, Hee-man? 'Cause I-,"  
  
"Shut up, Maxwell," my lover growled, then followed up with a kiss that made sure I did as he told me.  
  
Slick fingers circled my hole... just touching, not giving me the pressure I needed, and I whimpered.  
  
"Patience," Heero breathed in my ear, and I could do nothing but acquiesce.  
  
His finger breached my tightly-closed entrance... slid inward.  
  
[Oh. Oh, shit that's good.]  
  
Another digit joined the first on the down-stroke, twisting and pushing... spreading me wide. My internal muscles convulsed around his fingers and I felt empty _\--_ so fucking empty.  
  
"Not enough," I panted, riding the cork-screw thrusts inside me.  
  
"Hn."  
  
It happened all at once: another finger joined the ones already shoved up me at the same time Heero bent down, sucking my cock into his mouth. The extra pressure on my prostate and the suddenness of the wet heat engulfing my prick propelled me into freefall.  
  
I think I screamed. My throat sure felt like I had. I lay there in a satisfied daze as Heero licked me clean before retrieving the lube. Watching him slick his erection was pushing all my happy buttons and by the time his cock-head was nudging my stretched hole, my lower regions were wide-awake and getting impatient.  
  
"Go _\--_ unh _\--_ faster!"  
  
He eased into me a little at a time, letting my gripping muscles pull him inside at their own pace. I tried to push upwards, to take more, but he held me in place easily, his superior strength at once an incredible turn-on and an annoyance.  
  
"No. Won't hurt you."  
  
When he was most of the way inside, he abruptly sat up, pulling me with him onto his spread thighs. His cock slid home in a rush and I froze: head thrown back, impaled and full. The crown rubbed me in exactly the right place and I ground down on him, trying to increase the sensation.  
  
"Open your eyes."  
  
One hand cupped my chin and I looked down into blue-black pools, sure I was going to drown there.  
  
"Ride me, Duo."  
  
I did. My hands gripped his shoulders... his locked onto my hips. I moved over him, feeling the pressure of that heavy cock as it slid inside me, the friction against my walls exquisite agony.  
  
Rising and falling, only to do it all over again.  
  
Heero shoved up into me in short, brutal jerks, slamming into my gland, and my vision blurred around the edges. Guttural groans and hoarse panting were all I could hear as we pushed each other faster, harder... reaching for release.  
  
"Gonna come. Heero, gonna come, can't stop-,"  
  
"Yessss."  
  
His hiss of satisfaction filled my ears and one hand wrapped around my weeping cock as the other drew my face to his. His mouth fastened on mine, his fingers pulled rhythmically on my jerking prick, and he yanked me down hard to meet the upward thrust of his hips.  
  
This time I could feel the yell as it poured from me along with my come, echoing through the room while my semen spattered both of us in white jets. My ass clamped down on him and I felt him swell inside me... then burst, liquid heat pouring into me. He bit down on my shoulder, muffling his own shout, and the sharp pain wrung another pulse from my over-worked cock.  
  
We stayed like that for a long time, slumped against each other, too tired to move. Then I felt Heero shift, his softened shaft slipping easily from my body as he lifted me from his lap and onto the bed. He cleaned us both up and pulled the covers over my shoulders before climbing in beside me.  
  
"Gonna talk about this... later," I mumbled as he curled himself around me.  
  
"Hn."  
  
That familiar grunt followed me down into nothingness. I slept.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> by Ravengirl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note from Dacia, the archivist: this work was originally archived at [A Little Piece of Gundam Wing](https://fanlore.org/wiki/A_Little_Piece_Of_Gundam_Wing), which closed in 2017. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after July 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [a little piece of gundam wing collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/alittlepieceofgundamwing/profile).
> 
> [ ] = Duo's direct thought  
> // = lyrics

Something was tickling my nose, which made it impossible for me to remain unconscious. Slowly cracking an eye, I was abruptly treated to a close-up of my hair as it swished back and forth across my face.  
  
I let my lids slide the rest of the way open and found Heero leaning over me, propped up on one elbow and still butt-naked. He had the end of my half-wrecked braid in one hand and a hint of a smile on his face. What a way to wake up.  
  
"This seemed like a good way to get your attention." He waved the braid at me. "I didn't want to startle you."  
  
Smart boy, Heero. Startling the God of Death is NOT a good idea. He'll rip a guy from stem to sternum and I'll be left with a bloody mess on my hands. I'll be very apologetic on Shini's behalf, but it won't do me or his victim any good.  
  
I'll bet you're starting to think I'm a schizoid freak. Well, you're not half wrong. It's how I got through both wars: compartmentalization. Duo's emotions and reactions went into one box, Shinigami's blood-lust in another. And never the twain shall meet... or so I hope. If they do, _I_ sure don't want to be around for it.  
  
'S why I got into the business I'm in. See, most people don't want to hire a former Gundam pilot. Doesn't matter that I got my damn engineering degree (and at UCSD, no less), nobody wants what comes with it. Body-guarding isn't my first choice of careers, but out on the West coast it's pretty cut and dried: observe the creepy fan/stalker... follow said fan/stalker to his/her car... let Shini out for a few minutes and there ya go! Problem solved.  
  
At least most of the time. There've been a couple of glaring exceptions to the rule, but I handled those, too. Shini just stayed out longer than normal. And I had to get a serious hold of myself afterward.  
  
"Duo, did you go back to sleep?"  
  
"Uh?"  
  
Jeeze, I'm a freakin' moron before 08:00. Heero knows this, and yet he got me up at ­ I checked the clock ­ 10:16. Well, damn it all... the big lunk actually let me sleep in. Reaching up, I grabbed him by the neck and dragged him down for a wet, messy kiss. Mmm...  
  
"Not that I'm complaining," he panted when I finally let him go, "but what was that for?"  
  
"Not waking me up at the crack of dawn," I said around a mouthful of his collar-bone.  
  
I gave him a sharp nip for emphasis and he jumped. Oooooh, did I hit a sensitive spot? Man, was _this_ going to be fun. Or at least it was before he detached me from my prize and turned my face up to his. Unfortunately, he didn't kiss me, but the serious look in his eyes made me reevaluate my position.  
  
I had a bone to pick with Yuy-the-rabidly-straight.  
  
"So, I know you don't have a thing for Relena, babe, but how does that translate into having a hard-on for me? Ain't seen you with anything male the whole time you've been here."  
  
[Shit. Really, _really_ gotta work on the mouth thing.]  
  
Heero blinked. It made him look like a very sexy owl.  
  
"I've never been sure whether I'm attracted to men or women specifically... I only know I'm attracted to Duo Maxwell. And besides... I came here to be with you, not find a lover."  
  
Well... that shut me up. My jaw dropped so hard it damn near dislocated itself.  
  
"Most of the women who came out with me were just friends. Alice wanted more, but she understood when I explained, and Jess was just trying to make her boyfriend jealous."  
  
"Alice?" I asked faintly.  
  
"Yes. Brunette... small stature, hair almost as long as yours, kind- of purple eyes..."  
  
He flushed, but didn't look away and I realized he'd just described Pretty Pansy... and that she bore at least a surface resemblance to me. I felt the corners of my mouth turn up and the faint red along his perfect cheekbones deepened to crimson.  
  
"Well, well, Mr. Yuy. I don't know whether to kick your ass for being so tight-mouthed, or my own for being blind as a coke-bottle- wearin' geek."  
  
The blush was still spreading, and I had every intention of milking this for all it was worth. But Heero is no dummy. I recognized the look of cold-blooded calculation that filled his indigo eyes, and a thrill of apprehension made my skin crawl.  
  
I'd seen that expression plenty of times when we were in some military facility, twenty Ozzies ten feet away from the ventilation shaft we were hiding in, and no other way out. That huge piece of specially-modified testosterone he calls a gun would appear from nowhere, and we'd barely reach the Gundams by the skin of our teeth, leaving death and destruction in our wake.  
  
I felt retreat just might be the better part of valor at this juncture.  
  
"Uh, Hee-man-,"  
  
Gundanium-strong fingers whipped out, curling around my braid and pulling me inexorably towards the object of my misgivings.  
  
"I don't think so, Shinigami."  
  
His mouth sealed itself to mine, and I quickly decided that if this was Heero's new version of mayhem, I was all for it.  
  
+  
  
"Duo?"  
  
"Mmn?"  
  
I was feeling too lazily satisfied to move, so I stayed where I'd been for the last half-hour: draped partially over Heero and the rest of the way over one of the enormous pillows which graced the floor of my gamerz-den.  
  
This is my play-room... my lair. Chock-full of the electronic gadgets and toys I love, plus the biggest vid-screen on the market, it is my way of fulfilling the dreams of carefree self-indulgence every child has. The ones I never had the ability to dream when I actually _was_ a child.  
  
That changed with the end of the war. First time I set foot in an RPG shop, I must've looked like a kid let loose in a candy store.  
  
Heero liked my little den of iniquity as much as I did. Every Sunday we didn't have to work, we quickly regressed to the mental version of the fifteen-year-olds we'd never been, yelling and laughing and trying to beat each other's asses off at whatever game had our fancy at that particular moment.  
  
Last week he'd brought home the newest incarnation of FF VII. God was it great! All new, well-developed plot; multiple-player enabled; fantastic animation... and best of all, a wide range of character choice. Heero picked Sephiroth right off. The jerk.  
  
I pouted, debated... then grabbed Cloud. Buster sword, here I come!  
  
Heero's hand interrupted my cerebral wanderings, stroking down the bumps of my spine before molding long fingers around the protrusion of my hipbone.  
  
"You're not paying attention, Maxwell."  
  
I rolled off him, sprawling expansively across one of the gorgeous carpets Quatre had given me when I first moved in, and smiling up at Heero in satisfied complacence.  
  
"Okay, Yuy, here I am... attention and all. Whatcha gonna do about it, now that you've got us?"  
  
He studied me for a moment before uncoiling from his spot on the carpet and slinking over to me on hands and knees. Watching those impressive muscles move under smooth, golden skin was taking up most of my mental capacity, but I still managed to notice the way he was looking at me: like the proverbial predator stalking his prey.  
  
"Eeep!"  
  
He pounced without warning and I was suddenly missing my shorts and Heero's mouth was kissing its way down my abs.  
  
[Uh-uh... not this time, buddy.]  
  
He'd already pushed my legs up and back. It was a small matter for a guy with years' worth of quick 'n dirty behind him to brace his arms, position his knees just so, and flip one off-guard Heero Yuy over his head. I curled myself backwards, following his trajectory and pinning him to the ground where he landed.  
  
I grinned down at him, a feral baring of teeth.  
  
"You're not the only male in this house, Yuy," I said. Then proved it.  
  
+  
  
The song changed. I had over four-thousand programmed into my music database, but only a string of about a hundred was playing right now.  
  
/It won't be the first heart that you break You won't be the last beautiful girl The one that you wrecked won't take you back If you were the last beautiful girl in the world/  
  
A very old group - BC, actually - but damn good. I hummed along, feeling that everything was right in my world. The hard surface beneath me shifted slightly.  
  
"Pleased with yourself, hn?"  
  
I smiled against Heero's skin.  
  
"Very."  
  
/It's over now ­ and I've gone without... 'Cause you're everyone else's girl, and It seems to me that you'll always be... Everyone else's girl/  
  
"That's what she is."  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Relena."  
  
His fingertips drifted along the planes of my back before digging in and making me groan.  
  
"Oh _fuck_ , that's good. Nnngh. Don't stop!"  
  
For a while, my moans of ecstasy filled the room. Heero may have hands that can make mincemeat of cell-bars, but he also gives a damn good back-rub. By the time I came out of my pleasured daze, the song was long over, but his words resurfaced in my head.  
  
"What did you mean... about Relena?"  
  
His silence was contemplative, not stiff with anger. Always a good thing.  
  
"She belongs to the world. I was never able to see her as anything but a symbol and a friend. The man ­ or woman ­ who shares her life will have to be very sure that he or she truly wants her. No one else could put up with all that crap."  
  
I stared at him incredulously for a moment; the dispassionate, yet accurate, assessment of Relena's future mate was so very Heero Yuy. Laying my head back down on steely pectorals I laughed and laughed and laughed until he smacked my ass.  
  
"Baka."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Duo: What the hell was *that*, huh?  
> Ravengirl: (innocent as all get-out) Um?  
> Duo: You know what I'm talking about, you devious wench... Heero had a whole chapter devoted to screwing me into the mattress and I get a measly, 'Then proved it'. WTF?!  
> Ravengirl: Well, since you want to get technical... it *was* you on top the first time, if I recall correctly. (smiles smugly)  
> Heero: (arches an eyebrow at Duo and smirks)  
> Duo: (crosses arms and glares at them both) Omae o korosu.  
> Heero: (sneers) Bring it on, Braid-boy.  
> *expurgated violence*  
> Ravengirl: So, um, while the boys are having their little contretemps, I want to thank everyone for putting up with me... one more part plus the ep to go!  
> Duo: (panting, pants half torn off) Better be. I'm sick of this goddamn fic. When you gonna do Part 2 of 'Whiteout'?  
> Heero: (tank ripped, spandex missing: death-glares) I. Don't. Share.  
> Ravengirl: (sweatdrops)


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> by Ravengirl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note from Dacia, the archivist: this work was originally archived at [A Little Piece of Gundam Wing](https://fanlore.org/wiki/A_Little_Piece_Of_Gundam_Wing), which closed in 2017. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after July 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [a little piece of gundam wing collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/alittlepieceofgundamwing/profile).
> 
> [ ] = Duo's direct thought  
> // = lyrics

It was almost but not quite déjà vu.  
  
The front door shook under a hammering fist, rousing me from my much- needed rest at what was surely an unseemly hour. This time, though, no hangover clouded my sluggishly-reacting synapses, and warm, heavy limbs wrapped my own.  
  
Oofah. Muscle is heavier than fat, and Heero is nothing but bone and sinew. No wonder I couldn't feel the right side of my body. Wriggling as slowly as I could, I tried to snake out from under him without waking him up. No dice.  
  
"Nngh. Uhff," I said breathlessly, shoving at his limp carcass. "C'mon Hee-man, get off! You weigh a friggin' ton and you're cutting off my air supply."  
  
He grunted, slitted eyes showing irritable dark blue, then rolled off me into our nest of pillows, curling around one and immediately going back to sleep.  
  
We were still on the floor of the den… must've conked out after all that exertion. Snickering to myself, I retrieved my jeans from the VR stand and wandered towards the foyer.  
  
"I'm comin', I'm _comin'_ , don't getcher panties in a twist," I muttered as I deactivated my security measures, yanked open the door… and discovered how accurate the word 'panties' was.  
  
Eyes like a summer sky inspected me thoroughly before removing their gaze from my unworthy person. Soft pink lips twisted in a sneer worthy of Chang Wufei. I obviously did not meet her Worshipfulness' standards of proper dress code… or anything else, for that matter.  
  
"Hey Princess, what can I do ya for?"  
  
Shoving my hands in my pockets, I leaned against the doorframe and watched Relena Peacecraft ready herself for a full-frontal assault on the enemy: me.  
  
"Your door-com does not work."  
  
"Yeah, I ripped the sucker out. Couldn't stand that damned buzzing. Mosta the time people get bored with knocking and just go away."  
  
Womanfully ignoring my not-so-subtle hint to take herself off to friendlier climes, La Peacecraft fixed me with a glare almost Heero- like in its ability to strip flesh from bone.  
  
I yawned and cocked an eyebrow.  
  
[That the best you can do, wench?]  
  
Relena may be adept at cowing the peasants into quivering submission, but I've got 'Perfect Soldier' antibodies running through my blood. They deflect any glower less potent than a 1,000- watt Yuy Special.  
  
Perfectly groomed brows snapped together and the corners of her mouth took a distinctly downward turn.  
  
"Ya wanna watch those frown-lines, Relena-sweetie," I said. "Keep doin' that and in a few years they'll be permanent."  
  
The lines just deepened and she stepped closer.  
  
"Could we possibly do this inside? I don't think either of us wishes your neighbors present for our conversation."  
  
"Oh, is that what it is? I thought you were gonna hike your nose a few notches higher and issue me my marching orders." I didn't budge from my position. "As for the neighbors… fuck 'em if they can't deal. After all, we're just… conversing."  
  
I swear there was steam coming out her ears, she was so pissed. If her eyes had beam-cannon capabilities, I'da been toast.  
  
"Duo… Relena? What are you doing?"  
  
Well, she was shaking her fist at my nose, but it dropped as soon as she heard Heero's quiet voice.  
  
"Heero."  
  
There was a wealth of relief in her voice. I could hear, 'Oh thank God, my knight has come to save from the bad, crazy man,' in that one little word.  
  
Heero said nothing. He didn't have to. Aiming a curt chin-jerk at Her Pinkness, he shot me a narrow look that I interpreted as, 'Watch your ass Maxwell, or it will be mine for the next month without respite,' and disappeared down the hall.  
  
I turned my glower from his retreating form to the seething female in front of me.  
  
"Well, c'mon." I may have had to let her in, but I sure as hell didn't have to be nice about it. "Not gonna stand here all fucking day. I ain't yer bitch."  
  
Giving me a look that could've peeled the top layer off a Gundam, Her Majesty, Queen Relena Peacecraft of Sanq swept past me and vanished the same way Heero had.  
  
And my morning had started off so well. Damn it all.  
  
+  
  
I wandered through the house in increasingly agitated circles, always coming back to the great room's closed double-doors. And yes… the dining room door was shut too.  
  
Grrrr.  
  
I was reduced to snooping at key-holes. Erm… or something like that. At one point, I lay down on the floor with my eye glued to the crack between tile and wood. Couldn't see a damn thing and my right hip went numb after ten minutes.  
  
At least I could hear voices. Or rather, I could hear _Relena's_ voice. Over the course of two hours, it ran up and down various musical scales at an alarming rate, ending in a shrill shriek that Heero's gruff, characteristic growl silenced.  
  
I was pretty sure my name had been taken in vain several times on both sides and decided I needed to vacate the premises for a while. Grabbing my sandals and car keys, I quietly shut the front door and sprinted for my 1969 cherry-red Mustang. It was still September and the beach was whispering its siren song in my ear.  
  
Time to find me some waves.  
  
+  
  
Baby purred throatily as I wove my way through Del Mar's afternoon traffic. I ran a caressing hand over her dashboard, grinning with inordinate pride. Howard had given me her wrecked body two years ago, and I personally rebuilt her from the ground up.  
  
Don't look so surprised. What kind of Gundam mechanic would I be if I couldn't figure out what to do with early BC auto-tech? Especially of the American muscle-car variety. Baby's my pride and joy and she's got the drooling admirers to prove it.  
  
Parking her several streets back from the waterfront, I engaged security (she may be old, but she's got up-to-date protection), dragged my board from the Thule rack and headed for the sand.  
  
Surfing's better at Torrey, but I always park a ways up and walk down. Ain't never enough spots there mid-summer, and towards the end of September the rips start to get bad enough that sometimes they close that end down. Luckily, today wasn't one of those days.  
  
I paddled out and drifted for a while, watching the other adrenaline junkies ride the white. Half an hour later the wind started to pick up, things got choppier, and I caught my first curl of the afternoon.  
  
The waves were sweet enough that the sun was kissing the horizon before I let my latest ride carry me all the way into the backwash and stood, swiping my bangs back from my face and exchanging the universal 'late, man' with the rest of the surf-rats.  
  
When I finally turned towards my discarded shirt and towel, I was both surprised and not to see Heero sitting beside them, arms wrapped around bent knees. He wore faded blue-jeans and the ubiquitous olive tank, his dark hair ruffled by the stiff breeze.  
  
"How'd you get here? Your cycle's in the shop."  
  
He leaned back, squinting at me through messy bangs.  
  
"Relena dropped me off. I knew you'd be here." He paused, head cocked to one side. "You could have let me know you were leaving."  
  
"Nah… didn't wanna interrupt."  
  
I reached a hand down to him and he let me pull him to his feet, handing me my towel as he stood. Scouring the salt-water off my face and drying my dripping bangs, I flipped the terry over my shoulder and headed back towards Del Mar. Heero followed, steady and silent as a shadow.  
  
He secured my board to Baby's rack and slid into the driver's seat without asking. I decided not to call him on it. I had a feeling that today had not been easy on him and the last thing he needed was a bitchy Duo.  
  
I shot him a searching look as he pulled into evening rush-hour traffic. There was no real expression on his face, but that's pretty typical for Heero.  
  
"So…" I watched interstate 5's clogged lanes move forward at a crawl. "How's Ms. Peacecraft these days?"  
  
"Darlian-Peacecraft."  
  
"Uh?"  
  
"Darlian-Peacecraft. She decided to honor her foster parents by retaining their name. In many ways, she feels more of a connection to them than to the Peacecrafts."  
  
Made sense. From what Heero'd told me, she couldn't even remember her birth parents.  
  
"In any case, things are going well for her. Her last three petitions were approved by ESUN and her plans for the revitalization of Sanq have been well-received by the Council there."  
  
I toyed with the drawstring on my Billabong sweatshirt.  
  
"You, um, ever figure out what she did that got Noin so POed?"  
  
"Oh, that."  
  
There was a hint of laughter in his voice and I darted another quick glance in his direction. His shoulders had relaxed and his hands no longer had that white-knuckle look. A faint smile played about his mouth and I heaved a mental sigh of relief. Whatever they had talked about, he was okay with it.  
  
"Yes, that. Gonna tell me before I die of curiosity over here?"  
  
"Well… sure. A year ago, ESUN asked if Relena would resume her position as Vice-Foreign Minister. She wanted to, but wasn't about to leave the Council to their own devices. So she attempted to force Zechs to leave the Preventers and take up his royal duties. Both he and Noin were less than enthusiastic about it. Relena pulled some really underhanded stuff on them, and basically pushed Merquise into formally repudiating his titles. He's no longer even a member of the nobility, from what I understand. Relena was steaming mad about the whole thing, but I told her he wouldn't stand for being controlled."  
  
"She never did listen to anything she didn't want to hear," I said softly.  
  
He snorted.  
  
"I figured _that_ out the third time she caught up to me during the first war. Death threats don't stop the woman… why would common sense?"  
  
I snickered and he made that 'huh' sound that passes for his laugh and silence descended. It was the good kind, though. The comfortable quiet between two people who know each other inside and out and have no need to fill empty space with useless prattle. That made me laugh again and Heero looked a question at me.  
  
I shook my head, still laughing.  
  
"Just thinking."  
  
"About what?"  
  
"Oh… about the fact that it feels good to sit here with you and know I don't have to say anything. Kinda ironic that you used to threaten to kill me on a daily basis 'cause I couldn't keep my mouth shut."  
  
There was a startled pause and then, for the first time in my life, I heard Heero Yuy burst into real, honest-to-god laughter. It's a good thing the traffic was nearly at a stand-still 'cause by the time he finally quit chortling, tears were running down his cheeks and he could barely breathe.  
  
I crossed my arms and glared at him.  
  
"Christ, Yuy, it wasn't _that_ funny. Shut-up already."  
  
"Oh yes it was, Maxwell. You have no idea."  
  
I hmphed and he gasped and finally got himself back under control.  
  
"I like it too, Duo."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Just being with you. It's one of the reasons I came here. I missed sitting at my desk, having you sprawled on the bed behind me, reading or cleaning your knives, or even babbling at me. After I learned how to tune the words out, it was… comforting, I guess."  
  
I stared at him, frowning.  
  
"Talk about back-handed compliments, Hee-man."  
  
He shrugged, his eyes meeting mine.  
  
"Take it however you want. It's the truth."  
  
Gazing into warm cobalt, I decided that I really didn't give a shit if he'd thought I was a loudmouth baka back then. Right now was one helluva lot more important.  
  
"She came to apologize."  
  
The traffic was moving again, and Heero turned his attention back to driving. I snapped out of the trance those dark blue eyes had thrown me into, then realized what he'd said and zeroed in on it like heat-seeking missile.  
  
"She did? I mean… she did! I can't fucking believe it. Miss Prissy Princess lowering herself to say 'sorry'. Although, I guess you're the one she'd say it to, if she did."  
  
"She _is_ sorry, Duo. I may have the sensitivity of a rock, as you like to put it, but I can tell when someone is lying or being evasive. I gathered that Zechs really raked her over the coals. Then he explained why you never touch a sleeping soldier, and that PTSD is not just a bunch of letters. Both he and Noin have had their share of flashbacks… I suppose it never occurred to Relena-,"  
  
"Never occurred to Relena," I mimicked, cutting him off. "Of course it didn't occur to Relena. She's never been able to see anything that wasn't right in front of her nose and painted neon pink. Don't even think about excusing that bitch, Heero. She had no right to treat you like she did."  
  
I hated the understanding I heard in his voice. Hated that after a few hours talk, he was gonna play the forgive-and-forget game and go straight back to Her Pinkness' clutches.  
  
"So when are you leaving? Soon? I'm surprised she even gave to time to say goodbye."  
  
I must've sounded pretty nasty right then. Bitter, too.  
  
"Duo."  
  
His soft tone broke through my anger and I slumped in my seat, head against the window.  
  
" 'S okay Hee-man. I know you're probably bored off your ass here."  
  
"Maxwell, sometimes you really _are_ a baka."  
  
"Yup, that's me: Duo no baka, extraordinaire."  
  
He sighed and took the next exit ramp, pulling onto the first side- street we came to and parking against the curb. Then he reached out and grabbed my chin, turning me towards him.  
  
"What?" I snarked, glaring at him.  
  
"I'm not bored and I'm not leaving. I told her that and now I'm telling you… I have no intention of going anywhere unless you're along for the ride. And I don't think you want to live near her. Come to think of it, neither do I. Forgive, yes. Forget, no."  
  
I watched cautiously as he let go of me to run a frustrated hand through spiky hair.  
  
"You're staying?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"For good?"  
  
"Yes. If I'm still welcome."  
  
"Sheyeah, like I'm really gonna kick you out, Yuy. Course you're welcome, stupid."  
  
He looked at me from under ridiculously long lashes.  
  
"Still best friends?"  
  
I huffed out a laugh and curled a hand behind his neck to drag him towards me, bringing his forehead down to mine.  
  
"Yeah, ya moron. Best friends forever. Hopefully with bennies."  
  
He nuzzled my neck briefly before pulling away, a quizzical look on his face.  
  
"Bennies?"  
  
"Yeah, benefits." I arched an eyebrow at him. Ha, see I can do it too, Yuy! "'Nother word for 'wild monkey sex'."  
  
Heero groaned, rolled his eyes and put the car in gear.  
  
"Jesus, Maxwell, can you possibly get any cruder?"  
  
"Sure thing, babe," I said cheerfully. "I didn't hang out with Howard and the Sweepers all that time for nothing!"  
  
"Maxwell?"  
  
"Yeah Hee-man?"  
  
"Shut-up."


	9. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> by Ravengirl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note from Dacia, the archivist: this work was originally archived at [A Little Piece of Gundam Wing](https://fanlore.org/wiki/A_Little_Piece_Of_Gundam_Wing), which closed in 2017. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after July 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [a little piece of gundam wing collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/alittlepieceofgundamwing/profile).
> 
> [ ] = Heero's direct thought

"Watch where you're going, you stupid baka!" you shout. "The ground's slippery!"  
  
His wild laugh is carried to you on a gust of wind, that damn braid whipping out behind him as he skips down the last steps.  
  
"Not with these boots, babe!" he shouts back at you, grinning like a prize idiot.  
  
Ranting beneath your breath about brainless Americans, you stomp down the wide, sunken stairs after him, following his jauntily snapping tail out onto La Jolla Cove's wave-break.  
  
"God, it's gorgeous here," he sighs, half-hanging over the railing, turning his face into the spray of foamy, white-crested water.  
  
"Yeah, now that they finally cleared up the chem-dumps from the 21st century," you mutter darkly, and he turns to you, laughter lighting violet eyes.  
  
"C'mon Hee-man, don't be such a freakin' pessimist. I don't get how you can be on a day like this, anyway. We got sun, sand, water, 68 degree weather, and the seals are back at the Cove! Doesn't get any more perfect than that."  
  
His eyes are half-lidded as he leans against the railing, the sun glowing golden on his face, arms and chest. Today he wears ripped blue-jeans and an unbuttoned Hawaiian-print shirt reminiscent of Howard's abominations. At least this one is done in blues and greens, with no glaring colors to upset the eye.  
  
His skin is a rich tan from this summer's surfing, and you watch the subtle ripple of firm muscle under smooth skin with appreciation. Sometimes it's hard to believe that he is yours; all that heat and energy focused solely on you.  
  
A flicker of motion catches the corner of your eye, rousing you from your thoughts, and you jerk your head around just in time to see a wispy scarf go sailing through the air. Your arm whips out automatically and you catch it before the greedy waves can.  
  
"Oh my god, thankyousomuch!"  
  
[Oh shit.]  
  
You turn to find the owner of the scarf standing at your shoulder, looking up at you with shining eyes and a wide carmine smile.  
  
[Oh shit, squared.]  
  
You hand her the strip of material as she gushes at you, nod politely at her effusions and tell her it was nothing.  
  
And it was. Nothing, that is. That catch was an ingrained reflex, beaten into your muscles through years of vicious training. By the time she asks for your com-code, you wish you'd never grabbed the damn thing in the first place.  
  
Then slim, wiry arms circle your waist and a pointed chin rests on your shoulder. The girl's startled gaze leaves your face and you know she is staring into wicked purple eyes.  
  
His lips brush your neck and you shudder, ruthlessly shoving your arousal away. Until his tongue traces the same line his lips already have. Immediate hard-on.  
  
[Thanks a lot, Duo. I really need some girl staring at my erect dick.]  
  
"Hey babe, gonna introduce me to your little friend?"  
  
You do and she stutters something incomprehensible before excusing herself and disappearing. You shift in his arms so you're facing him, only to find him smirking like the Devil's personal imp.  
  
"I think I scared her away," he says, an evil lilt in his voice.  
  
"I think you did it on purpose," you remark, dryly.  
  
"No trouble at all, no need to thank me," he replies in an airy tone, watching you warily, not sure how you'll react to his possessive behavior.  
  
"Sorry, Heero. If you wanted to talk to her, I mean. She was really pretty 'n all, and-,"  
  
"Shut it, Duo."  
  
God, he's still so unsure of you. You spent too many years screwing around, trying to get your head on straight, when you should have been giving him the security of your presence.  
  
"I figured out a long time ago that I prefer braided American bakas of the gorgeous male variety. And in almost 22 years, I've only managed to find one," you say, holding him against you. "As far as you and I are concerned, she's the last beautiful girl I ever want you to worry about. Period."  
  
The grin is back in full force and he suddenly leans into you and plants a sloppy one on your mouth, right in front of God and everyone. It feels damn good after so many years of repressing every emotion and you kiss him back without reservation.  
  
You break apart, both breathing a little harder than normal, smiling at each other like the pair of fools you are.  
  
"Let's go see if the seals'll let us pet 'em," he says, grabbing your hand and pulling you towards the beach.  
  
[Only Duo], you think as you are tugged along after him like a wolf whose leash is held by a mischievous feline.  
  
You follow his bright flame, trusting him not to lead you astray… you always have, through fire-fights, flying shrapnel and worse. He didn't let you down then. And you know, somehow, that he never will.  
  
Fin.


End file.
